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Jim Irsay’s three daughters have been all-in on the Indianapolis Colts for years, and it’s expected they’ll each continue to play significant roles in the franchise’s operations following their father’s passing on Wednesday.
Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson all have ownership stakes in the team, in addition to serving as vice chairs since 2010 and overseeing various parts of the Colts operation.
While specifics of the Colts’ next steps might not become public for some time, each of the daughters is expected to remain with the team—and keep it in Indianapolis.
A Colts spokesperson declined Wednesday night to discuss the team’s succession plan, which is kept on file with the NFL along with plans for the league’s 31 other teams. But experts said they anticipate Irsay-Gordon, Foyt and Jackson to continue operating the team without any hiccups.
Irsay-Gordon, 44, is involved in every aspect of the organization, but largely focuses on football operations, as well as internal digital and social media content and production. She joined the Colts in 2008 and holds a degree in religious studies from Skidmore College and a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Argosy University.
She is involved in multiple committees within NFL ownership, including those focusing on the league’s media assets, its strategic capital fund, and the security and fan conduct committee. She also manages the Tony Dungy Diversity Coaching Fellowship and Harriet P. Irsay Fellowship for Women in Football programs.
Irsay-Gordon lives in Indianapolis with her husband, Zach Gordon, and three children.
Jackson coordinates the family’s philanthropic and community work, and she leads the Kicking the Stigma initiative focused on raising awareness about mental health disorders. The campaign, which has also been embraced by several other NFL teams since launching in 2020, has committed $31 million to various organizations and initiatives focused on mental health access, recovery and research programs.
Among those was the creation of the Irsay Institute at Indiana University, Jackson’s alma matter. The center is focused on researching and addressing stigmas related to mental health challenges. Jackson and her husband, Boyd, live in Indianapolis with their two daughters.
Both Irsay-Gordon and Jackson have been included in the Indiana 250, a publication by IBJ’s parent company, IBJ Media, that highlights the state’s most influential people outside of government.
Foyt, who helped coordinate the first regular-season NFL game to be played outside North America, in London in 2007, manages community relations and marketing for the Colts. She graduated from Indiana University with a degree in sports marketing and helped revamp the Indianapolis Colts Women’s Organization. Foyt, her husband, Anthony, and their five children live in Carmel.
“His daughters have been coming to the owners meetings now for quite a while, so the team is going to be in excellent hands and have professional management,” Marc Ganis, a sports business expert and principal of Chicago-based sports agency Sportscorp Ltd., said late Wednesday. “No matter how experienced his daughters are, it’ll take them a while to cut their own path. But as far as the professional management of the team, [Irsay] made sure that was all taken care of.”
Irsay’s daughters grew up around the franchise, as their father was with the team since 1982, two years before their grandfather, Robert Irsay, moved the Colts from Baltimore to Indianapolis. Jim Irsay became the sole owner and CEO in 1997.
Milton Thompson, a longtime Indianapolis-based sports agent and attorney, said that given Jim Irsay’s persistent health problems in recent years, the leadership transition has already effectively occurred within the Colts organization. He said while Irsay had the final call on major decisions, his daughters have largely run the franchise in his place.
“I don’t anticipate anything new from the business side, because I think that they’re going to stick with what they already have in place,” “And we’ll listen to what it is they decide in terms of football-oriented decisions where the owner has had input.”
Irsay’s death comes at a unique time for the Colts as a business, as the team begins to consider whether any major upgrades are necessary to extend the life of Lucas Oil Stadium, a venue the team has called home since 2008.
Formal discussions have not begun on the matter, although the team regularly meets with the Capital Improvement Board of Marion County to discuss game-day operations and incremental improvements to the facility.
The Colts have also been working with the city of Indianapolis and other local entities to craft a bid to host an upcoming NFL Draft. Following this year’s event, Irsay noted his profound interest and enthusiasm for the city’s making the NFL Draft a priority, as it typically draws hundreds of thousands of visitors.
Additionally, the Colts continue to evaluate their real estate holdings, including working through long-term plans for property the franchise owns south of Lucas Oil Stadium, most of which is used for parking on game days.
All three daughters have also been involved in the NFL- and Colts-backed push to further grow girls flag football, including advocacy to create more high school programs across the state.
Ganis said he believes Irsay’s daughters are well-prepared to lead the team, adding that even with the transition and a period of mourning, the “NFL aspect is the easy part.”
The difficult part for the family will more likely be navigating complex federal codes involving estate taxes. According to Forbes, the Colts and Irsay carry a valuation and net worth, respectively, of $4.8 billion.
Even so, he said, there’s no reason to think the Irsays might consider selling—or moving—the team anytime soon.
“Anybody who thinks that’s going to happen,” he said, “they’re going to be waiting a long time.”
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Will the daughters have to pay estate taxes based upon the value of the team? That could be very expensive. In addition, the Colts will seek upgrades to LOS soon as the Stadium turns 20 years old. That means expansion more tax dollars and likely expansion of the PSDA, which is what the recent upgrades to Gainbridge Fieldhouse required.
“excellent hands” lol, she’s been running things for a while and we see how that has worked out!
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